Any coincidence of the slow acetylator phenotype and alcoholism will be investigated in this study. The proportion of alcoholic subjects that exhibits the slow acetylator phenotype has been compared with the proportion of normal volunteers that exhibits the slow acetylator phenotype. The acetylator phenotype has been measured in normal volunteers and recovered alcoholics, who are not related to each other. The recovered alcoholics have a history of alcoholism and the normal volunteers are nonalcoholic and have no first degree relatives who are alcoholic. The acetylator phenotype was determined after a single dose of sulfamethazine by measurement of blood and urine concentrations of sulfamethazine and its acetylated metabolite. These were quantified by high pressure liquid chromatography. The acetylator phenotype has been determined in a total of 37 alcoholics and 26 unrelated normal volunteers. Both groups contained 54% fast acetylators (20/37 and 14/26). Power analysis indicates that 2430 subjects would be required for these proportions to represent a statistically significant difference.